Alfa Romeo could return to Formula One with its own team, Marchionne says

Could Ferrari have some Formula One competition from within its very own stable of companies?

That possibility was raised Friday when FIAT Chrysler chief executive Sergio Marchionne said Alfa Romeo could enter F1 with their own team instead of putting their name to a Ferrari engine, according to a Reuters report.

Marchionne is also president of Ferrari.

"Alfa Romeo are capable of making their own chassis, just as they are capable of making engines," he told Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper in an interview, without specifying a timeframe.

The possible return of Alfa Romeo to F1 was first raised in December when Marchionne spoke to reporters in Maranello, where Ferrari has its factory.

At the time, he said it was important for Alfa to be involved in Formula One with more than just some branding on the Ferrari cars that speed around the tracks.

Marchionne was asked by the Gazzetta if Alfa would compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours race, to which Marchionne replied: "I would much rather put them in Formula One.

"For Alfa Romeo to emphasize themselves as a sporting brand they can and should consider the possibility of returning to race in Formula One. How? Probably in collaboration with Ferrari," he added.

According to Reuters, Ferrari's late founder Enzo Ferrari started out racing and managing a team for Alfa Romeo before setting up on his own in the late 1930s.

The first two Formula One world championships in 1950 and 1951 were won by Italian Giuseppe 'Nino' Farina and Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio in Alfa Romeo cars.